“The Kennedy assassination is one of the ghostliest parts of our history. The Kennedy family—that's our royalty. It's fascinating and tragic and just strikes to the heart of our country.” —Richard Belzer

Okay, it’s time to bounce back. We have been off the grid, MIA, unaccounted for and truthfully speaking, kinda lame.  We’ll own our lameness, we’re not proud. Don’t believe me?  I’m writing a Monday mini-review on Wednesday. Here’s the thing: I’ve been on a Kennedy bender. I know there’s no such thing as royalty in the United States, but if any family has come close to that level, it’s the Kennedys.  Who needs the Kardashians when you’ve got political power, fame, fashion, r deletion, beauty and tragedy all rolled into one Irish Catholic bunch? If your curiosity is piqued, here are two reads for you. 

While the Kennedy family occupied a prominent place in the world’s spotlight for decades, one Kennedy remained in the shadows. Beautiful Rosemary, the third child belonging to Joe and Rose, was born with developmental disabilities and later hidden as a result of her intellectual deficiencies. Larson’s narrative does not hide the Kennedy’s disregard for Rosemary’s needs at times. Of course, little was known about how to treat mentally challenged individuals in the first half of the 20th century, but sometimes the Kennedy’s ambition and power budged out humaneness. Larson offers a silver lining to the story when she echoes Eunice Kennedy’s thought that it was through the loving, indomitable spirit of Rosemary, that the Kennedy family found one of its greatest missions and in doing so, changed millions of lives. I’m so glad I got to meet Rosemary. (And to learn more about important mental health issues.) This was an interesting, sometimes fascinating read. Know that Larson presents a whole lotta facts, so it feels more methodical than lovely as far as the story telling goes. 

I’m happy to report that I was not alive the day JFK died. Five days in November gave me an intimate look at that horrifying day in Dallas—and an even greater respect for Jackie Kennedy, who proved that bravery, kindness, and grace can outshine tragedy.  Hill, the secret service agent who first responded to shots fired by jumping onto the trunk of the President’s car, gives a surprisingly detailed account of the president’s assassination all these years later. I agree with the Publishers Weekly editor who said, “What this book—whose contents we’ve waited 50 years for—lacks in artistry, it makes up for in immediacy.” The moving pictures in Hill’s book may well equal a thousand words. Know this, I may bow and scrape a little when it comes to some of those Kennedys. 

p.s. If I were on a real bender, I’d read Mrs. Kennedy and Me next. 

Posted by Tracy